


see you around

by nightswatch



Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, Trans Character, Trans Courfeyrac
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-23
Updated: 2015-05-23
Packaged: 2018-03-31 21:04:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3992794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nightswatch/pseuds/nightswatch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Enjolras has to buy tampons for a friend and it doesn't turn out to be as easy as he hoped.</p>
            </blockquote>





	see you around

“Anyone home?” Enjolras kicked the door shut and peered into the empty kitchen. Combeferre had gone to visit his grandparents, but Courfeyrac should be home.

Actually, Courfeyrac had promised he’d make them both dinner and then afterwards they could have a movie night, but apparently there’d been a change of plans. Enjolras was just about to pull his phone out of his pocket to see if he’d got any texts when he heard Courfeyrac call his name somewhere down the hall.

Enjolras frowned. “Courfeyrac?”

“I’m in the bathroom,” Courfeyrac called. “Can you come here real quick?”

“Are you okay?” Enjolras stepped up to the bathroom door, not sure if _here_ meant that he was supposed to come inside.

“Can you do me a favor?”

“Yeah, sure. What do you need?”

“Right, so I’m kinda out of tampons,” Courfeyrac said, “and I can’t really go anywhere right now because I’d get blood all over the place and who wants that, right? I mean, it’s gonna look like we murdered someone probably. So can you just run down to the store real quick and get me some tampons, I’ll love you forever.”

“I...” Enjolras had expected something like Courfeyrac needing a towel, not tampons, but yeah, he could do that. Hopefully. “Sure, I’ll get them for you.”

“Thanks Enjolras, you’re the best. And I’m sorry. I totally forgot because of finals and–”

“It’s okay,” Enjolras interrupted. Buying tampons couldn’t be that hard. “I’ll be right back.”

A new grocery store had opened just down the street not too long ago. Enjolras had never been in there, but it was a big one, so he was sure that he’d get what he needed. It was pretty much deserted when Enjolras walked in. Well, it was Saturday evening after all. There were a couple of people in the liquor aisle, a few buying chips, instant meals, pizza. Enjolras didn’t have trouble finding the aisle with the tampons and pads, and it was empty.

It was a long aisle. Enjolras had never noticed, mainly because he’d never set foot in it before. There were _billions_ of choices. Really, it wasn’t that much of an exaggeration. There were different brands, different sizes, and it was incredibly confusing.

Well, at least he was pretty sure that he didn’t have to get pads, so he moved past those. Still, having _just_ tampons to pick from didn’t actually limit the choice that much. Because there were still tons of big and small packs, some with dozens of tampons. Well, Enjolras had no idea how many Courfeyrac needed and if he got the wrong brand, Courfeyrac would be stuck with a bunch of tampons he didn’t like.

Because there had to be some kind of difference, right? Or maybe there wasn’t. Enjolras wasn’t so sure. Maybe he should know what kind of tampons Courfeyrac usually used, but they all had their own separate drawers and cabinets in the bathroom and Enjolras had never really paid attention to what everyone else kept in theirs.

It was probably for the best to just call Courfeyrac and ask him. When Enjolras reached for his phone, though, he realized that he must have left it back at their apartment. “Great,” Enjolras muttered and took a step back. Maybe that’d give him a better overview.

He was still trying to figure out which brand seemed to be the best one to get when one of the sales assistants walked past. He glanced at Enjolras but didn’t otherwise pay him any mind. Which was good, because Enjolras had been in this aisle for an embarrassingly long time and if he stayed much longer, someone might start to think that he was plotting to steal something.

Enjolras sighed. Maybe he was making this unnecessarily hard for himself. In the end they were all tampons, they all served the same purpose. Although he was still convinced there had to be some difference because they all had different labels. He definitely needed to read up on this. Or ask Courfeyrac to fill him in on the tampon business.

“Can I help you?”

Enjolras nearly jumped out of his skin. “I...” He looked at the sales assistant, the same one that had walked past him just now. His name tag read _Grantaire_ and he’d somehow managed to sneak up on Enjolras. “I need tampons,” Enjolras said. “For a friend.”

“Of course,” Grantaire said, nodding gravely.

“They’re really for a friend.”

Grantaire snorted. “Hey, okay, it’s cool. You know, I once needed tons of tampons for an art project and people were giving me weird looks, it was quite the experience,” he said with a shrug. “So, your friend didn’t tell you what kind she wants you to get for her?”

“ _He_ neglected to tell me, yes.”

Grantaire didn’t bat an eye, only hummed and joined Enjolras in staring at the tampons. “Well, Musichetta’s shift ended half an hour ago, so I assume that she’s gone, but hey, we’ll figure this out. We’re in this together now.”

To be quite honest, Enjolras was glad that he didn’t have to decide this on his own. “What’s the difference between regular ones and comfort ones?”

“They’re extra comfortable and also more expensive,” Grantaire said and pointed at another pack. “There are also super ones. I think it’s all about how much they absorb, you know?”

“I guess,” Enjolras said. It made sense, at least.

“Yeah, well, and those over there are good for when you want to do sports, which I don’t think you’ll need and I also wouldn’t go for the really small ones if I were you. I suppose your safest bet is to take maybe regular ones and also super ones. We usually have multi-packs with different kinds, but we’re out of those.”

Really, all Enjolras could do was trust this guy. “Which brand?”

“Not the cheapest one, not the most expensive one.” Grantaire took two packs off the shelf. “Take these. If your friend doesn’t like them, you can always donate them. We’ll gladly pass stuff on to shelters in the area.”

“That’s... actually a really good idea.”

“Yeah, our store manager volunteers at one of them, he came up with it.”

“I’ll make sure to bring them back if my friend doesn’t like them,” Enjolras said, smiling at Grantaire. “Thanks for your help.”

“Sure thing,” Grantaire said. “Chocolate is in aisle eight.”

Enjolras frowned. “I don’t need chocolate.”

“Does your friend like chocolate?” Grantaire asked, eyebrows raised.

“He does, yeah.” But Enjolras still didn’t need any chocolate. “He didn’t tell me to get him any, though.”

“Doesn’t matter. Get him chocolate, he’ll love you for it. Or ice cream. Seriously, everyone likes free food.” Grantaire shrugged. “Or at least I do.”

Enjolras smiled. “I’ll get some chocolate, then.”

“Good on you,” Grantaire said. “Truffles are always a good choice, by the way. Also Swiss chocolate. But you probably know best what your friend likes.”

“Thankfully I know more about his chocolate preferences than his tampon preferences. Thanks again.”

Enjolras quickly picked up some truffles, because Courfeyrac did love those and then he hurried home, almost running so he’d make up for the time he’d lost while he’d been staring at tampons in bewilderment.

“Courf, I’m sorry it took so long,” Enjolras called as he unlocked the front door. He quickly strode down the hall and knocked on the bathroom door. “Tampons are really confusing. I hope I got the right ones.”

The bathroom door opened a couple of inches and Courfeyrac’s hand appeared. “Doesn’t matter as long as they stop me from bleeding all over my favorite underwear.” He quickly snatched the tampons from Enjolras and then joined him in the living room only a few minutes later.

“Did I pick the right ones?” Enjolras asked.

“You did, good job. You know, I realized that I could have just told you to dig through one of my bags, but at least now I don’t have to leave the house tomorrow,” Courfeyrac said and flopped down on the couch next to him. “Love you.”

“I also got you truffles.”

“Seriously,” Courfeyrac said and wrapped his arms around him, “I love you so much, you’re the greatest and I’ll never be able to thank you enough.”

“They’re just truffles.”

“Yes, but they’re the truffles I need in my life right now and you brought them to me,” Courfeyrac said and grabbed a blanket for the both of them. “You get to pick the first movie for that.”

* * *

“Enjolras, it’s your turn to do the shopping tomorrow, right?”

Enjolras hummed and looked up. “Sure, just put whatever you need on the list.”

“Okay, well, since you did such a great job last time,” Courfeyrac said and ruffled Enjolras’ hair, “could you get me tampons? But not the same ones as last time. Smaller ones. Like, as many as possible.”

“Several packs?”

“No, one pack with as many tampons in it as possible.” Courfeyrac grinned. “I know, it can be confusing.”

“A bit,” Enjolras said. “Anything else you need?”

“Just all the other stuff that I put on the list, but I thought it might be easier to just explain the tampon thing instead of writing it down. Although I could always get them myself.”

“No, it’s fine, I’ll get them.”

Truth be told, Enjolras liked going grocery shopping. When he’d first moved out from his parents’ house he’d been ridiculously bad at it, mainly because he’d kept deviating from his shopping list, but now that he lived with Combeferre and Courfeyrac he couldn’t really do that anymore.

Enjolras had taken to a special liking to the grocery store down the street. Someone – Enjolras assumed that it had been the store manager that Grantaire had told him about – had set up a couple of boxes where people could leave donations for various shelters. He’d seen Grantaire a couple of times, but they’d never talked, Enjolras had just smiled at him in passing.

Only today Enjolras was back in the tampon aisle and maybe Grantaire had a sixth sense that let him know that Enjolras was back – this time in broad daylight with a lot of other people in the store. Not that Enjolras was embarrassed or anything, it just still took him a ridiculously long amount of time to find the right tampons in the masses that were on the shelf.

“Tampon guy,” Grantaire said loudly, “you’re back.”

“Well, at least this time I know what I need to buy,” Enjolras said, watching as the only other person in the aisle shot them a smile and grabbed a pack of pads before they trotted off.

Grantaire grinned. “You don’t really look like you know what you’re looking for.”

Enjolras made a face but luckily found the tampons that Courfeyrac had told him to buy. “See, this is what I need. Thanks for the tip with the chocolate, by the way.”

“Told you, everyone likes free food.” Grantaire didn’t look like he was done talking just yet, but then there was a loud thud on the other side of the shelf and he sighed. “Better check what’s going on. I’m glad I could be of assistance.”

It took Enjolras a couple of seconds to realize that he was still smiling even though Grantaire had already left.

* * *

After several long-winded discussions, Combeferre, Courfeyrac and Enjolras finally decided that they’d ask the store manager that Grantaire had told Enjolras about whether they wanted support from their student group to raise funds for more shelter donations. They usually did two fundraisers a year and they all had different things they were passionate about, so it often took them weeks to come to an agreement.

This time it had only taken two dinners at the Musain and one breakfast courtesy of Combeferre. And now Enjolras was on the way to the store down the street, this time with Courfeyrac in tow, to see if they could talk to the manager or at least get his phone number.

Enjolras instinctively looked for Grantaire when they walked into the store. He was usually here on Friday afternoon – Enjolras only knew because he swung by the store a lot after his Friday class. He didn’t have Grantaire’s schedule memorized. Although he also knew that he worked on Saturday and Monday evenings. But that was just a coincidence. Enjolras had simply noticed.

“So what does the guy who told you about the other guy look like?” Courfeyrac asked, looking around the store with a frown. “Is he hot?”

“I...” Enjolras shrugged. Courfeyrac would probably like Grantaire’s hair. And his eyes. And his tattoo sleeves – Enjolras hadn’t seen those until a few weeks ago and even he had found them rather interesting. “I suppose you’d find him attractive?”

“Oh my god,” Courfeyrac whispered, “you’re into him.”

Enjolras rolled his eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Is that why you go grocery shopping so much? Because you think that the grocery guy is hot?”

“Would you be quiet?”

“Holy shit,” Courfeyrac said lowly. “This is great. Where is he?” He gave Enjolras a nudge. “Come on, don’t give me that look, I won’t say anything to him, I just want to take a look at him.”

“Fine,” Enjolras said lowly and they walked onwards, peering into every aisle. Maybe Grantaire wasn’t here after all.

“Tampon guy, you look lost. Again.”

Courfeyrac made a sound somewhere between a snort and a wheeze. “Tampon guy,” he whispered and took Enjolras hand, “I’m so sorry.”

Grantaire raised his eyebrows at the both of them. “Can I help you two with something?”

“You could stop calling me tampon guy,” Enjolras grumbled. “And we’re actually looking for your store manager. The one who works at the shelter?”

“Oh yeah, that’s Feuilly. He’s not here today, but I can give you his number. Or at least his email address, because I’m not sure how he’d feel about me just giving his number to people. Or you can come back tomorrow morning.” Grantaire bit his lip. “Whatever works best for you.”

“His email address would be great,” Courfeyrac said, smiling broadly.

“Sure, I’ll get it for you,” Grantaire said, smiling at both of them before he turned around, “just wait here.”

“You know,” Courfeyrac said once Grantaire was out of earshot, “since we were already on the subject of asking for contact details, you could have just asked him for his phone number.”

“Stop it,” Enjolras said. “I don’t want his number, he’s annoying.”

“See, you’d be the perfect couple.”

Enjolras glared at Courfeyrac. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing,” Courfeyrac said innocently and then pretended to be really interested in some off-brand cereal that was on sale this week.

Grantaire quickly returned to them and handed Courfeyrac a piece of paper. “That’s Feuilly’s email address.” He handed Enjolras another piece of paper. “And that’s my phone number,” he said, very persistently not looking at him, “in case I can help you with anything else.” Grantaire cleared his throat and nodded at them. “I have to get back to... stuff.”

“Thanks for your help,” Courfeyrac said cheerfully.

“No problem,” Grantaire said and then quickly vanished into the cereal aisle.

Courfeyrac grabbed Enjolras’ arm. “Please marry him.”

“Shhh,” Enjolras hissed and then dragged Courfeyrac towards the exit, nearly walking straight into a one of the store displays.

Courfeyrac pulled him out of the way with a snort. “Amazing.”

“This is... this has nothing to do with... I didn’t–”

“Hey, tampon guy.” Grantaire had reappeared, smiling at them. “Just so you know, I wouldn’t be calling you that if you’d told me your actual name.”

Enjolras couldn’t help but smile. “I’m Enjolras.”

“Well, Enjolras, I guess I’ll see you around.”

Enjolras nodded. “You will,” he said, ignoring how Courfeyrac was practically bouncing up and down next to him.


End file.
